Tarikh (al-Tabari) 4267
Then the year 358 AH began
ذِكْرُ مَا فَعَلَهُ الرُّومُ بِالشَّامِ وَالْجَزِيرَةِ وَفِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ دَخَلَ مَلِكُ الرُّومِ الشَّامَ، وَلَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ أَحَدٌ، وَلَا قَاتَلَهُ، فَسَارَ فِي الْبِلَادِ إِلَى طَرَابُلُسَ، وَأَحْرَقَ رَبَضَهَا، وَحَصَرَ قَلْعَةَ عِرْقَةَ، فَمَلَكَهَا وَنَهَبَهَا وَسَبَى مَنْ فِيهَا. وَكَانَ صَاحِبُ طَرَابُلُسَ قَدْ أَخْرَجَهُ أَهْلُهَا لِشِدَّةِ ظُلْمِهِ، فَقَصَدَ عِرْقَةَ، فَأَخَذَهُ الرُّومُ وَجَمِيعَ مَالِهِ، وَكَانَ كَثِيرًا. وَقَصَدَ ( مَلِكُ الرُّومِ ) حِمْصَ، وَكَانَ أَهْلُهَا قَدِ انْتَقَلُوا عَنْهَا وَأَخْلَوْهَا فَأَحْرَقَهَا مَلِكُ الرُّومِ وَرَجَعَ إِلَى بُلْدَانِ السَّاحِلِ ( فَأَتَى عَلَيْهَا نَهْبًا وَتَخْرِيبًا )، وَمَلَكَ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ مِنْبَرًا، فَأَمَّا الْقِرَى فَكَثِيرٌ لَا يُحْصَى، وَأَقَامَ فِي الشَّامِ شَهْرَيْنِ يَقْصِدُ أَيَّ مَوْضِعٍ شَاءَ، وَلَا يَمْنَعُهُ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا أَنَّ بَعْضَ الْعَرَبِ كَانُوا يُغِيرُونَ عَلَى أَطْرَافِهِمْ، فَأَتَاهُ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْهُمْ وَتَنَصَّرُوا وَكَادُوا الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ، فَامْتَنَعَتِ الْعَرَبُ مِنْ قَصْدِهِمْ، وَصَارَ لِلرُّومِ الْهَيْبَةُ الْعَظِيمَةُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَحْضُرَ أَنْطَاكِيَةَ وَحَلَبَ، فَبَلَغَهُ أَنَّ أَهْلَهَا قَدْ أَعَدُّوا الذَّخَائِرَ وَالسِّلَاحَ وَمَا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ، فَامْتَنَعَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَعَادَ وَمَعَهُ مِنَ السَّبْيِ نَحْوُ مِائَةِ أَلْفَ رَأْسٍ، وَلَمْ يَأْخُذْ إِلَّا الصِّبْيَانَ، وَالصَّبَايَا، وَالشُّبَّانَ، فَأَمَّا الْكُهُولُ، وَالشُّيُوخُ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَتَلَهُ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَطْلَقَهُ. وَكَانَ بِحَلَبَ قَرْغَوَيْهِ، غُلَامُ سَيْفِ الدَّوْلَةِ بْنِ حَمْدَانَ، وَقَدْ أَخْرَجَ أَبَا الْمَعَالِي بْنَ سَيْفِ الدَّوْلَةِ مِنْهَا، عَلَى مَا نَذْكُرُهُ، فَصَانَعَ الرُّومَ عَلَيْهَا، فَعَادُوا إِلَى بِلَادِهِمْ، فَقِيلَ: كَانَ سَبَبُ عَوْدِهِمْ كَثْرَةَ الْأَمْرَاضِ، وَالْمَوْتِ، وَقِيلَ: ضَجِرُوا مِنْ طُولِ السَّفَرِ وَالْغَيْبَةِ عَنْ بِلَادِهِمْ، فَعَادُوا عَلَى عَزْمِ الْعَوْدِ. وَسَيَّرَ مَلِكُ الرُّومِ سَرِيَّةً كَثِيرَةً إِلَى الْجَزِيرَةِ، فَبَلَغُوا كَفْرَ تُوثَا، وَنَهَبُوا وَسَبَوْا وَأَحْرَقُوا وَعَادُوا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ أَبِي تَغْلِبَ بْنِ حَمْدَانَ فِي ذَلِكَ نَكِيرٌ وَلَا أَثَرٌ.
Translation
✧ Mention of what the Byzantines did in Syria and the Jazira In this year, the king of the Byzantines entered Syria, and no one prevented him or fought him. He marched through the lands to Tripoli, burned its outskirts, besieged the citadel of ʿArqa, captured it, plundered it, and took its inhabitants captive. The governor of Tripoli had been expelled by its people because of his severe oppression. He headed to ʿArqa, and the Byzantines captured him and all his wealth, which was abundant. The king of the Byzantines then headed to Homs. Its people had already left and vacated it, so he burned Homs and returned to the coastal towns, plundering and destroying them. He captured eighteen pulpits; as for the villages, they were too many to count. He stayed in Syria for two months, heading wherever he wished with none to stop him, except that some Arabs used to raid their outskirts. A group of them came to him, converted to Christianity, and attacked Muslims from among the Arabs and others, so the Arabs refrained from opposing them. The Byzantines acquired great awe in the hearts of the Muslims. He wanted to attack Antioch and Aleppo, but he learned that their people had prepared provisions, weapons, and what they needed, so he refrained from that and returned, carrying with him about one hundred thousand captives. He took only boys, girls, and young men; as for the middle-aged and old, some he killed and some he released. In Aleppo was Qarghawayh, the servant of Sayf al-Dawla b. Hamdan, and he had expelled Abu al-Maʿali b. Sayf al-Dawla from it, as we shall mention. He made a peace settlement with the Byzantines over it, so they returned to their country. It was said that the reason for their return was the prevalence of illnesses and death, and it was also said that they grew weary of the long journey and absence from their lands, so they returned intending to come back. The king of the Byzantines sent a large raiding party to the Jazira. They reached Kafr Tutha, plundered, took captives, burned, and returned, and Abu Taghlib b. Hamdan did nothing to stop them and left no trace of response.
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